


Found

by EventHorizons13



Series: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Characters [10]
Category: Desierto (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dehydration, Dogs, F/M, Injury, Search and Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:28:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: Sam's wife heads out to find him when he doesn't come home after a hunt.
Relationships: Sam (Desierto)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Characters [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075559
Kudos: 1





	Found

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea that spawned after watching the movie and after hearing that they cut a scene where Sam talks to his wife. In no way do I agree with or endorse anything that the character did in the film. Sam deserved to die out in the desert, alone.

We met while in the service. To say that things started off easy and well between us would have been an utter lie. We butted heads constantly, over just about everything. He was the sort of man that didn’t think women were not capable of accomplishing anything in the military, that they shouldn’t be allowed. It didn’t help my case that I was more than capable and worked hard to outshine the man. I ran harder, pushed harder, shot better, pushed myself to keep ahead of him. Our commanding officers hating putting us together for anything but the two of us were the best of the battalion. The forced time that we spent together eased some of the tension. There were some things forged in the middle of a war that could transcend anything and just about everything. Needing to have each other’s backs and save each other’s asses to keep the mission from failing pretty much ensured that there was a bond forged that wouldn’t allow us to keep up the anger. Sure some tension was still there as our moral grounds didn’t completely disappear but we became much more tolerant of each other and one drunken night led to another before we realized what was happening. We had been together ever since.

Finding a small place out in the middle of almost nowhere, it was just the two of us and our dogs. It was a simple life but we were both content with what we had and how we were living. There wasn’t a need on either end for much. We would trade off hunting duties every now and then though more often than not Sam would be the one to head out with his dog Tracker and round us up rabbits. There wasn’t a permit needed for the little hoppers and we could shoot as many as we wanted without having to worry. Of course there were a couple of times that a few others things had been brought home as well but what others didn’t know didn’t hurt them right? He was capable of handling himself, that much I knew. And if he couldn’t, well Tracker would take down anyone that came without 200 yards of Sam without a thought and without the need for a command. My boys were safe when they were out in the desert. As safe as they could be.

That didn’t mean that I didn’t occasionally get a bit worried. There were things out there that one couldn’t brace for. A turn of weather, snake bites, running out of water because of some silly mistake. So, I slipped a GPS trackers into the pouch that Sam always took with him as a safety precaution. I knew he would be pissed if he found out but it wasn’t a reflection on my thoughts on him as a man. It was the knowledge that anything could happen at any time thanks to the military that I carried that sort of worry with me. He was never gone for more a day and a half max, occasionally spending the evening out if he had driven too far for the day or if he had caught onto something a bit bigger than he wanted to take down. Which was why I rarely needed to really worry. A day and a half in the hot desert was something that I knew the man was more than capable of handling.

Which was why when we hit the two day mark, I was beginning to worry a bit. My own dog, Gunner, and I had wandered the perimeter of our home on the lookout for the two to return. It was quickly becoming clear that they weren’t going to. So, I loaded up the laptop to check to see where the GPS marker had Sam. Confusion was quickly washed away by worry when I saw it not moving in the middle of nowhere out in the desert.

“Gunner.” The dog was at my feet instantly. “Bag.” The dog had his own bag for when we ventured out into the desert. I wasn’t going to sit by and wait any longer. If everything was okay, well I would deal with a pissed off Sam. If things weren’t…it wasn’t something that I really felt like entertaining at that moment. I quickly grabbed my own gear and moved out to my truck. I needed to swallow down the worry that I was feeling, the concern that threatened to consume my chest if I let it dwell too long. It had to be shut down so I could efficiently and effectively find the man. With the coordinated locked into a small handheld GPS, I took off.

*********************

It took about three hours to get to where his last location was. But he was nowhere to be found. The camp site was still set up, all his gear minus his M1 grande was just laying about. What the hell had happened? Where was he? I cursed softly, spinning in a circle to see if anything caught my eye, anything at all. We were out in the middle of nowhere, further than Sam usually ventured out. Squinting a bit against the sun, my heart stopped when I realized that his truck was laying a couple hundred yards out, flipped over.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I took off in a dead run. Gunner let out a yelp and followed after me. My mind kept running through all the worst case scenarios. I had handled death and dead bodies before but I wasn’t sure I would be able to deal with Sam’s if he was in that vehicle. Skidding to a stop, I saw a few bullet holes in the truck which immediately set off alarm bells in my head. Who the fuck would have shot at him? Sam could piss a lot of people off but he wasn’t that bad. Who else was out in the desert with him? Kneeling down, I let out a premature sigh of relief when I found the cab empty. That meant that there was a chance that he was still alive. Not that it made my job any easier. Now the gps tracker was not on him and he was out in the desert in the middle of nowhere without any supplies or his truck. Tracker wasn’t anywhere to be seen either. Reaching into the cab, I found an old shirt and pulled it out. Whistling for Gunner, we moved back to the truck so we could grab our bags. This wasn’t going to be a nice trek that much I knew. Settling a pack with some extra water over my back as my gun on my shoulder, I made sure that Gunner had two spare bottles in his as well. If Sam and Tracker were out there, they were likely dehydrated. This had turned into a search and rescue situation really damn quick.

Kneeling down, I held out the shirt to Gunner who eagerly took in the scent.

“Alright Gunner, we gotta move quick boy. Go find him.” Tracker was the better scent dog but I was confident in my dogs abilities. He lifted his snout to the sky before taking off. I was right behind him, not missing a step.

It took us nearly an hour and it wasn’t a small hike before Gunner began to alert. No one and nothing was visible as I hauled myself up the small face of a rock. I was drenched in sweat and the sun was beginning to set. We didn’t have a lot of time left. My heart was hammering and my mind wanted to play tricks on me, trying to tell me it was a useless endeavor, that Sam was gone. I refused to let myself give up though. Planting my feet on ground, I looked after the excited canine.

“You got him boy?” With a little more energy than I was feeling in my step, I moved towards where he was alert, the excited tone of his bark spurring me on. When I saw the sprawled out body that was when I kicked it into high gear and sprinted once more.

“Sam?!” Gunner got to him way before I did and began to lick softly at his hand, which remained deathly still. “No, no, no.” I swallowed hard and came to a skidding spot before falling to my knees. The sun had done a number on him. With hands that were shakier than usual, I reached out to check for a pulse. For a second, I thought I felt nothing and I was on the verge of tears. Then, there was a hint of one. It was weak but it was there. Glancing him over, I saw the nasty break on his left leg. It would make getting him out of here difficult, more so given the terrain he had managed to get himself into. We weren’t just in the flats anymore.

“Sam, I need you to open your eyes for me. Come on, I know you are still here with me. I am going to get you out of here and to a hospital. I just need you to stay with me.” I reached towards Gunner and he moved over obediently, sitting by my side while moving to lick Sam’s face. Into his pack I went and grabbed one of the water bottles. I opened his mouth and poured a small dribble into it, not wanting him to aspirate. Lifting his head, I worked his throat slowly, coaxing him to swallow. “Come on Sam, please.” A few seconds passed and there was still no response. My heart was pounding in my throat at this point. I couldn’t ever remember feeling the worry and rush of adrenaline that was coursing through me as I was in that moment. Then he sputtered and cracked his eyes open. A rush of air left my lungs as an intense relief worked through me. He was disorientated and tried to flail out of my arms. I grunted as his arm lashed out and nailed me on the jaw.

“Easy hun, it’s me, it’s me!” Gunner moved to lick his face again to help settled him. It took him a few more seconds to be able to come around, recognition slowly lighting his face.

“Lexy?” I gave him a soft smile and slowly fed him a little more water.

“I’ve got you. We are going to get you outta here alright? I’m gonna need to splint the leg. I know it won’t do much but it will making moving you easier. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch.” I winced apologetically as I spoke. “We need to get you to the hospital. You are dehydrated as shit.” I thanked God that my voice remained steady, my training kicking in. I had Gunner lay down and prop his head up a bit. I knew that he would have a hard time giving himself small sips of water but I would have to let him handle it. Moving to grab what I could around me, which wasn’t all that much, I glanced up and gave him another apologetic look before moving his injured leg. He let out a cry which had my gut churning. I worked as quickly as I could to get it stabilized before moving to his upper body. I could fireman carry him but I wouldn’t be able to make it too far. There was also the problem of his lanky frame. He was nearly a foot taller than I was which could make trying to piggyback him awkward as all hell. Fuck, this was not a fun situation to be in. I weighed my options before coming to a decision.

“I’m gonna move you out of this damn sun and go get my truck. Move it closer so I don’t have to move you quite as much. Think I got shit we can make a stretcher out of too.” I wanted to lay a hand on his face but was scared to cause him any more pain than he was already feeling. “Keep drinking slow alright?” I murmured softly, being as reassuring as I could. Seeing him like this killed me.

“Come back…”

“I’m not leaving you out here Sam.” Leaning down, I brushed my lips against his forehead. Peeling my over-shirt off, I used it to cover up what I could of his upper body, trying to protect it from any more damage from the sun. “I am sorry. I have to move you now.” I tucked my arms underneath his, carefully lifting his upper body some before beginning to drag him backwards. It was clearly agonizing for him as several pained yelps followed by near sobbing whimpers escaped his lips. With everything that he had been through, I knew he was physically spent. His body was ready to give up but I wasn't going to let it.


End file.
